Sell Yourself First And The Product Second
The key to 99% of sales is the relationship between the salesperson and the client. It’s just a pity that more people don’t realise this. Before you can sell your product you need to sell yourself.
Now I know that there are many sales professionals out there who know the power of this truth and yet there are still millions who just don’t get it. I think part of the reason for this is their natural tendency to focus on the product or service rather than the people. They assume that if the product is right and the price is right then the customer will buy.
Have you ever been in a shop looking to buy something? You know what you want or at least you think you do, and the shop has that product in stock. The only problem is the salesperson.
For whatever reason, you walk out of the shop empty handed because you don’t like or trust the person on the other side of the counter. Doubt in the person becomes doubt in the product and the sale is off.
But conversely I’ll bet you have been into a shop to buy something and you have come out with either a more expensive model or some additional products or services that you never originally intended to buy. How come? Well I’ll bet that it most cases it came down to the attitude and the approach of the salesman or woman. What was it about them that was different?
Here are some of the things that usually cause these sort of results:
- They smile and look interested in you!
- They listen and ask questions before making a recommendation
- They make eye contact
- They make recommendations that relate to the information you have given them
- They talk about what the product or service will do for you and paint verbal pictures
- They empathise
- They aim to help you make good decisions
- They relate to you as a human being first and a customer second
None of these things are difficult yet so few people seem to remember them. As a professional salesperson and sales trainer it drives me nuts to see people make basic mistakes. Just imagine how many more sales and how much more job satisfaction the people who do these things, get!
